Feb 6, 2017 | By Tess
3D printed electronics company Nano Dimension Ltd. announced today that its subsidiary, Nano Dimension Technologies Ltd., will be developing advanced ceramic materials that can be 3D printed using inkjet technology. The new project is being supported by the MEIMAD committee from the Israel Innovation Authority, which has approved a budget of NIS 1.4 million (roughly $372,000). According to Nano Dimension Ltd., the Israel Innovation Authority will finance 50% of the aforementioned budget to support the project, money that will be paid back by Nano Dimension through royalties on future sales.
Nano Dimension, which has become well known for its 3D printed PCBs (printed circuit boards) as well as its nanotechnology-based conductive and dielectric inks, will be adapting its versatile technology to be able to 3D print advanced ceramic materials. As the company explains, its 3D printing technology, which already allows for precise multi-material additive manufacturing, “has the potential to create the next generation of ceramic elements for the aerospace and aviation sectors.”
Advanced ceramic materials, which possess a number of advantageous properties, are sought-after materials within the aerospace and aviation manufacturing sectors. These properties and material characteristics include good thermal resistance, as well as diverse mechanical properties such as elasticity, plasticity, tensile strength, compressive strength, shear strength, and more. In other words, ceramics, which are characterized as being neither organic or metallic materials, are excellent for a variety of structural and building applications.
Up until now, however, manufacturing components from advanced ceramics has remained an expensive and highly time-consuming process. Additionally, existing technologies have been unable to effectively manufacture complex structures made from ceramics, a very limiting factor. With Nano Dimension’s 3D printing technology, these limitations could be surmounted, and 3D printing advanced parts out of ceramics could become significantly more viable.
The company cites an example where 3D printed ceramics could make a big difference. In PCB manufacturing, for instance, ceramic materials could be used to manufacture the dielectric (that is to say, insulating) parts of the PCB. “This usage is potentially revolutionary, since the insulation and mechanical strength properties of the ceramic material are infinitely better than the properties of the materials currently used in the PCB industry,” said Nano Dimension.
MEIMAD, which is contributing funds to Nano Dimension’s new 3D printing endeavour, is a joint venture between the Israel Innovation Authority, the Ministry of Finance, and the Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure (part of the Ministry of Defense). MEIMAD’s goal is to promote R&D for “dual use technologies” (that have both financial and national security potential) across the military, defense, and commercial sectors.
Posted in 3D Printing Technology
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